Tracked vehicles are often used on soft, low friction and/or uneven ground, such as earth, mud, ice and/or snow, because of their endless tracks which enhance their traction and floatation on the ground.
As they travel on the ground, tracked vehicles can encounter various obstacles (e.g., rocks, portions of trees, debris, ice blocks, bumps or other abrupt changes in ground level, etc.) depending on their environment. Such obstacles can create shocks in track assemblies of the tracked vehicles. Depending on their intensity, these shocks may affect ride quality and/or structural integrity of the track assemblies. Also, while most obstacles encountered by tracked vehicles are normally easily surmounted, some obstacles may sometimes prove more difficult to overcome. This can negatively impact a tracked vehicle's performance by slowing it down or in some cases bringing it to a standstill.
For example, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) propelled by track assemblies may be prone to such problems when encountering obstacles on the ground. For instance, in some situations, an ATV's track assemblies may encounter large rocks, fallen tree portions, or abrupt changes in ground level that induce shocks which can be strongly felt by the ATV's rider. In other situations, an ATV may encounter an obstacle such as a large rock, fallen tree portion or abrupt change in ground level which is difficult to overcome by one of its track assemblies (e.g., due to a tendency of a front region of that track assembly to “dig” or “wedge” itself at the obstacle's base instead of climbing over the obstacle).
Similar problems related to encountering of obstacles on the ground can arise with other types of tracked vehicles.
Accordingly, there is a need for solutions directed to facilitate use of ATVs and other tracked vehicles which are susceptible to encountering obstacles on the ground.